Running like the Wind
by Allyn
Summary: Taking place is the near future, Sydney is discovered as the mole within SD-6. She is sent on a journey to save her life *WIP*
1. Default Chapter

**Running like the Wind**   
  
Part 1

  
  
**Archive:** Tell me where first   
**Disclaimer:** I don't own any Alias characters, those are owned by J.J. Abrams.   
  


Sydney's eyes flash open to reveal her dark room. Nothing could be seen, but Sydney knew she wasn't alone. There was very little light in the room with the blind shut and her door closed. The only light came from the overhead fan above the stove that made it under her door and the bedside table clock with a slight red glow.

"Hello Sydney," A male voice says off to her right, probably from the corner.

"Good day to you, Sloane," Sydney sneered back, her brain trying to figure out how to escape, but there was no way out.

"I hope you enjoyed your last sleep, double agent Sydney. I know you work for the CIA, passing information to them. I cannot allow that to continue."

Soft footsteps could be heard as Sloane came out of the corner, walked to her bed, and jumped up over her. Sydney could tell he was wearing his usual suit.

"You were one of my best agents. You had great potential with SD-6. At least I thought so. I cared for you…"

"Bullshit!" Sydney spat out before she could stop herself. "All you care about is collecting the Rambaldi artifacts at any cost, even lives."

She immediately knew that she pushed his patience too far. With one swift movement, Sloane had a gun in his right hand with a silencer in his left. Less than 2 seconds later they were both connected pointing at her head.

"Die, Bitch," Sloane whispers, he pulls the trigger…

* * *

"AHHHH!!!!" Sydney screams as she sits strait up in bed, a thick cold sweat rolling down her face and onto the sheets. Her brown hair was all over the place with her eyes darting all over the room and a racing heart.

"It was only a dream," Sydney whispers while letting out a sigh of relief.

Even though it was only a dream, she was still worried. Over the past month, the same sort of dream has happened. It started out once or twice a week with a sniper picking her off while she was on a mission. Although over the past two weeks it has quickly escalated to every night with Sloane, Dixon, or anyone else at SD-6 killing her at the office, at home, or a mission, or anywhere. She glances at the time. The bright red numbers shine back 1:52.

Sydney takes another deep breath, closes her eyes, willing herself to calm down.

"RRRRIIIIINNNNGGGG!!!!" the phone blasts through the quietness.

Sydney literally jumps out of her skin in surprise, swearing lightly once she realized it was only the phone. She gets to it at the end of the 3rd ring.

"He…Hello?" Sydney sputters out through her sleep-laced voice.

"Joey's Pizza?" the voice on the other end asks.

_Oh shit_, Sydney thought. _It's almost 2am, I'm tired, I want to sleep, forget the bad dreams, what does he want right now?_

"Wrong number," She quickly replies, and hangs up the phone.

As quickly and quietly as she could, Sydney leapt out of bed and dressed herself. The only sound she made as she made her way towards the door was her breathing.

"Who was that on the phone Syd?" a very sleep-laden voice said from behind her, startling her already frazzled nerves.

"It was a wrong number Fran, just go back to bed."

"What are you doing up at this hour," Francie asked, suddenly realizing Sydney was up.

Sydney thought quickly. "I couldn't sleep after the phone rang, so I wanted a drink before trying again. Now please go back to bed."

This time Francie heeded Sydney's advice and went back to bed. Not long after Francie left the silence returned. Again she crept towards the door and turned the handle and pushed. Luckily it wasn't locked. She opened it enough to slip out, then quietly shut it behind her.

Sydney slipped from shadow to shadow until she reached her car. With a press of a button on her keychain, she was in. With the key in the ignition the car roared to life, and no sooner than the car had started, it had disappeared into the night.

* * *

Sydney's footsteps echoed eerily around the warehouse as she paced back and forth waiting for Vaughn to show up.

_Where the hell is he?_ Thought Sydney, her pacing getting quicker. _He's never been late before, hell, he's always beaten me here. And why such a late meeting?_

The sound of footsteps approaching brings her back to reality. From the dim lights she could make out that it was Vaughn with what looked like a big plastic bag in his left hand. Her heart leapt with joy. Sydney rushed forward and gave him a huge hug, but he pulled back quickly.

"What's wrong?" Sydney immediately asks sensing something was wrong.

Even in the low light Vaughn's eyes were focused on the floor and a tear was working its way down his cheek. He takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly.

"We don't have much time, so you must listen carefully to everything I say," he began.

"O…Ok…" Sydney was very confused.

"SD-6 has caught up with you, they know you are a double agent."

The news hit her like a bag of bricks. Her mind started working overtime.

_How was I?_ She thought desperately. _I covered my tracks flawlessly, unless they bugged my clothes, but not much talking was done in SD-6 issued clothes…_

"Sydney?" Vaughn's voice snaps her back to reality.

"Ho…How was I caught?" she managed to stammer out.

"No time for that right now," Vaughn says. "You have to leave immediately. No going home one last time, No…"

"Hang on a second," Sydney almost yells. "I'm not going anywhere without Francie and Will knowing I'm leaving."

"Yes you are. Just before you left your apartment, a CIA agent arrived at your place to make sure you made it out ok. He saw you come out, get into your car, and drive away. However, less than a minute later a black van pulled up and someone armed got out. You are not safe here right now. You MUST leave tonight!"

While Vaughn was talking she could feel her eyes become wetter. The battle to hold back the tears was a fierce one.

"What about Francie?" Sydney asked, tears rolling down her cheek. "And…And Will? Are they still alive?"

"From the reports I have, Yes. The armed man left right away when he saw your car gone. As for the story of your disappearance, the once which they are told will be left for you at a later date to collaborate your story. We have to get you moving, every second counts."

Vaughn hands the plastic bag to Sydney, containing various pieces of clothing, various ID cards, a mirror, some makeup, and a wig.

"Quickly change into these clothes," Vaughn said as he hurried Sydney behind a pile of crates. "The first part of this mission is very simple. You are to drive north for about an hour to a little town called Camarillo. Just inside the town there is a hotel called Sleepy Inn, in which you are booked into room 315."

He paused briefly. The sound coming from behind the crates subsided not long after.

"Almost done back there, Kelly Frasier?" Vaughn smiled widely.

The sound of lips popping came from behind the crates. "I'm done."

Sydney steps back into view of Vaughn, her costume looking perfect on her. Her normally dark brown hair was now an orange-blonde colour that reached half way down her back. Her clothes consisted of a black dress with matching top. The dress was made of a very shiny fabric and almost reached down to her kneecaps with slits. The top was a sleeveless top made of cotton.

"How do I look?" She asks, doing a 360 and allowing her new hair to fall in every direction.

"You look perfect. Now, here are the keys to your car. Do you remember where you're headed?"

"Room 315 in The Sleepy Inn in Camarillo," Sydney quickly recited.

"Good," Vaughn handed the room key to Sydney, and begins to lead her outside. "In the room Wiess has left a change of costume, some food, and most of the information you need."

Sydney glanced at Vaughn and noticed a tear rolling down his cheek, and even she was having trouble holding it back again. Everything was starting to sink in. How her life was in danger, how her friends are in danger, and how she will never work as a double agent in SD-6 again. A cool wind had come up as they stepped outside. The wind blew Sydney's hair in all directions and lifted her skirt slightly. She shivered from the wind. Vaughn put his arm around her shoulders. She leaned into him gratefully.

"Your car is just over there."

The walk to her new car felt like it took forever, although it took less than 30 seconds. Her car is a discreet Taurus, a beautiful silver outside with a gorgeous sky blue interior.

Sydney turns and looks into Vaughn's eyes, unable to hold back her tears. Unable to restrain herself anymore, she wraps her arms around him.

"I love you," she whispers. "I'll miss you lots."

Vaughn could feel the tears dropping onto his shoulder.

"I love you too, but we will see each other again soon, probably sooner than you think," A tear drops onto her shoulder.

The embrace was quick but the point was made. Vaughn was the one who had to break it off.

"You have to get moving," He said while gazing into her eyes.

The gaze lasted a couple more seconds before Sydney turned away and got into her car.

"Goodbye," she says before the door closes.

"Goodbye," he replies.

The engine roars to life. Sydney throws it into reverse, backs out of the parking spot, and with a final wave, she is gone into the night.


	2. Part 2

**Running like the Wind**   
  
Part 2

  
  
**Archive:** Tell me where first   
**Disclaimer:** I don't own any Alias characters, those are owned by J.J. Abrams.   
  


Sydney arrived at the Sleepy Inn at 3:45am. The drive had taken slightly longer than she had hoped. The Sleepy Inn was a big 10-story building with what looked like a 2-story lobby. Sydney quickly finds a parking spot and heads in.

The lobby was a beautiful place with a big beautiful chandelier hanging from the centre of the room. The entire place was done in a deep red wood colour. Over to her right behind the desk there was a bored looking bellboy. When he saw Sydney he perked right up.

"Can I help you?" he said in a slightly boyish voice.

"Yes you can," replies Sydney. "My name is Kelly Frasier, could you give me directions to room 315? I'm supposed to meet someone there. I already have the key."

"Well Ms. Frasier, take the elevator to floor 3, then turn to your right. It's about half way down the hall," the bellboy replied.

"Thanks," Sydney says as she headed towards the elevator.

The doors to the elevator open just after she presses the button. The elevator, like the rest of the lobby, was mostly wood, but the floor was a beautiful sky blue carpet with dark blue spots. She gets in and presses the button for floor 3. The doors close and the elevator begins the trip up the floors.

"Bing!" the elevator rings on the third floor.

The doors open and the lights from the hallway flood in. Nervously Sydney jams her orange-blonde hair behind her ear and steps off the elevator, prepared for anything. Quick glances to the left and right show that the hallway is completely empty. Breathing a sigh of relief she starts off to her room.

325…320…317…315, ah! Here we are, Sydney thinks to herself.

With another quick glance to her left and right, she slides the key into the lock and slips inside. The door shuts automatically behind. The room was almost completely black. Sydney, knowing hotels all too well, started feeling along the walls for a light switch.

AHA! Thought Sydney as her hand made contact with a switch and turns it on.

Instantly the room is filled with a bright light. Sydney was blinded for a brief moment. Her eyes finally adjusted she could see the room clearly. It was a fairly large room all done in shades of green with a king-size bed, couch, table, and a couple chairs. Obviously the CIA didn't spare any expense for this. The bathroom was also fairly big including a full size tub. Suddenly Sydney felt like a long hot bath and sleeping until noon, but she quickly forced the idea out of her head and noticed a small sheet of paper left on the bed. Sydney walked over and began reading it.

'From here on out nothing will be left in view in the room, everything will be hidden in the same spot in every room:

Change of clothes will be in the dresser Food will be left under the bed Makeup and hair wig/dye will be under the sink Your orders and other misc. items will be in the bedside table 

I am always not far from here in this rush to save your life from SD-6. All rooms have been purchased so they will not change unless something happens but I doubt it will. Good luck, Bristow, and be careful.

Weiss'

Sydney sits down on the bed reading it over again. Off in the distance the sound of an elevator door opening jolts Sydney back to the hotel room. She quickly gets up and heads to the door, locks it, and turns off the light. Footsteps were heard leaving the elevator and heading down the hall the opposite way. The footsteps stop, she could hear a key being put into a lock. The door opens and closes. Sydney lets out a sigh of relief and heads back to the bed. Instead of sitting down, she heads to the bedside table and opens the drawer. Near the back of the drawer there was a discreet brown package wrapped in brown paper. Nothing was written on it at all, except in the top left corner on the back in tiny print it said 'Kelly Frasier.'

Without wasting another second by just staring at the package, she rips the package open and finds a flimsy donut box that was used as packaging.

"Count on Weiss not to waste anything," Sydney chuckled to herself.

Quickly opening the lid to the box and peering inside, she spots 2 envelopes and a bright red cell phone. Instinctively she picks up the cell phone and looks it over. Weiss had obviously left it on for her. Quickly she forgot about the cell phone and placed it on the bed. The 2 envelopes contained her next orders and what happened.

'About 2 months ago Sloane finally noticed that every fake item came from your missions. Naturally he had SD-6 investigate this. If you remember the mission where you and Dixon were to infiltrate the K-Directorate at 2 different locations and steal some pages from the recently discovered book of Rambaldi's. Naturally Sloane sent you after the blank page 47. Your counter-mission was to substitute the real page 47 for the fake one we provided. When you got back, he immediately carbon-dated the pages. Yours was substantially newer than the other ones. This was an oversight on our part that got you caught.'

The letter ended there. Sydney couldn't believe that such a small oversight got her caught. A quick re-read told her that she didn't miss anything. She placed the letter down on the bed and picked up her orders.

'Again, your orders are very straightforward. Change clothes and get out of the hotel as fast as possible. There is no time for sleep. Once you're ready to go, get back into your Taurus and drive to San Francisco. Every second counts! There are CIA agents keeping watch, but get going.'

Following the note Sydney headed to the dresser and grabbed the brown paper bag that was inside and headed to the bathroom. Under the sink there was just another note.

'Use the same makeup and wig you currently have.'

Pulling out her new costume reveals tight light sky blue pants with a blue form-fitting T-shirt. Sydney quickly throws the clothes on, pausing a moment to fix her wig. Rushing out of the bathroom she glances quickly at the bedside clock to see it shining 4:30. As she approached the bed her new phone began to ring. Finishing the distance to the bed quickly she picks up the phone and pressing answer.

"Hello?" Sydney answers.

"Get out, now!" A voice like Weiss replies. "CIA agents report that Sloane just arrived."

Sydney walked to the window and looked out. Sure enough there was Sloane with about a dozen other agents including Dixon and Marshall.

"Shit!" Sydney shouts into the phone and a muffled sound answers. "Sorry, didn't realize I shouted."

"You have to listen carefully. Grab your stuff and go out of the room. If you turn and keep down the hall there is a stairway. Get into it and wait until I say it's safe. Now go!"

Sydney bolted towards the door and got out into the hall. Not wanting to wake up the entire floor by running she collected herself and started walking to the stairwell.

"I'm in," Sydney says into the phone as the door closes behind her.

"Good," Weiss replies. "Sloane, Dixon, and Marshall have gotten into the elevator just now but 2 other agents headed to the stairs. Be careful. You can no longer go out the front door as the rest of the agents are waiting out for you to try to escape. There is a back way out of the hotel. Go as far down the stairwell as possible, and careful of the agents, they're probably wired to Sloane in some way."

Very carefully she started her trip to the basement stepping down a stair, then pausing to listen for sounds. No sounds were coming up, but Sydney knew they were there. Moving as quickly and as quietly as possible with a cell phone to her ear in case Weiss had some important information for her, she finally made it down a flight of stairs. Peeking around the corner in the stairwell she was confronted by 2 lightly armed men. Luckily they were busy checking out the 2nd floor corridor and didn't see her glance around at them. Pulling back quickly she weighed her options.

Ok, calm down Syd, she thinks to herself. You could either knock them out but that would get Sloane on me quickly, or I could see if my costume fools them, and if that doesn't work, then I knock them out.

Deciding on the second option in hopes of better odds in getting out alive, she adjusts her wig and hides the cell phone in her pocket with the outline showing through. She steps around the corner and continues down the stairs. Immediately the 2 agents turn around and study her. The bigger of the two didn't fall for the costume and immediately reached for his gun.

Ah well, it didn't work, Sydney thought.

By the time the big agent had his gun out and pointing it at Sydney, she had finished the last couple stairs between them. Quickly she grabs his arm and pushes it so she was out of the line of fire and kneed him in the stomach. He collapses over clutches at himself, his gun hitting the floor. The other agent backed off and grabbed for his walkie-talkie.

"Mayday!! Mayday!! She's…" The agent managed to yell before getting kicked hard in the face.

The agent falls to the ground unconscious with a trickle of blood coming from above his left ear. The walkie-talkie he was using smashes into pieces on contact with the floor. Glancing back at the first agent he was reaching for his gun which was just within his range. Quickly moving to prevent him from getting the gun she steps on his hand. A fairly high-pitched moaning came from the agent that got louder and louder as more of Sydney's weight was added. Reaching down she picks up the gun and whacks the agent on the head, knocking him out cold. Pulling her cell phone out of the pocket she yells in.

"Both agents out cold, heading to the basement."

"Hurry Agent Bristow, Hurry."

Sydney flew down the stairs 2 or 3 at a time although when she hit the main floor she heard a slam from the door above and footsteps flying down the stairs. Sydney picked up the pace and literally flew down the last flight. She hits the floor and sees 3 directions.

"Which way?" She asks into the phone.

"Left," Wiess' voice sounded a little fuzzy.

Sydney sets off at a sprint up the hall, her hair flying behind, and the footsteps on the stairs getting louder. Out of no where gun fire rang off the walls.

"STOP!" Dixon yelled while firing his gun.

"Never," Sydney shouted back while picking up the pace.

The hall turned just ahead, and a good thing too. She rounded the corner just as more gunfire rained out where she was not more than a second ago. Not far ahead she sees a glass door to the outside with a flight of stairs lit by a light, which seemed to lead to ground level. To Sydney it was probably the longest 5-second sprint in her life. She throws her body against the door and it flies open. Taking 3 stairs at the time to get to the surface, she hears more gunfire rain out from behind her, shattering the glass in the door. At the surface she starts sprinting off to her left towards the forest. Raising the phone to her ear Weiss' voice could be heard.

"Sydney? SYDNEY!! Damn, answer me!"

"I'm here," Sydney replies into the phone. "I need to get out of here, they're right on my heels!"

"Right, when you left the building, which way did you go?"

"Left."

"Do a 90 or a 180 degree turn and run. The other SD-6 agents are waiting in the forest for you."

"Now you tell me," Sydney replies sarcastically. "Alright, I'm doing a 90 degree turn. Can I have an extraction near here? I don't want to run for 10 miles."

In all honesty running 10 miles is easy for Sydney, she often runs that on weekdays and double that on weekends, but she can only make 1 mile, possibly 2, at the sprinting speed she was going.

"Ok, the extraction team is about 1 ½ miles up the road."

"Thanks."

Sydney took off up the road, not caring that Dixon & Sloane just came out of the hotel with Marshall panting behind, not caring that their guns were aimed at her, not really caring that there was gunfire coming from behind her.

Sydney stumbled, a searing pain in her right leg.


	3. Part 3

**Running like the Wind**   
  
Part 3

  
  
**Archive:** Tell me where first   
**Disclaimer:** I don't own any Alias characters, those are owned by J.J. Abrams.   
  


Sydney kept running even though the pain was severe. She glances down to see what happened.

"Fuck," Sydney swore.

Lifting the cell phone to her ear. "I've been shot in the leg."

A muffled sound returns which sounded almost like "Shit!" The voice became clear again. "Can you still run?"

"Yes, although in great pain. I'll see you at the extraction point."

Putting the phone back into her pocket she started sprinting as fast as she could with her wounded leg. More gunfire rang out, but it was from a distance, and missed her by a fair bit. The gunfire stops. She glances back to see no one in sight.

I've lost them, She thought.

She slowed down slightly to catch her breath and to conserve her energy, but she knew that the sooner she gets medical attention the better off she will be. Taking a quick peek she glanced down at her leg she could see where the bullet had entered, and her pants up to her kneecap was stained and dripping with blood leaving a trail down the road. Sydney groans, knowing that she had to keep a grueling speed to the extraction point. Speeding up she started sprinting again, the pain getting worse with each stride. Ahead she saw a black van that looked like it could be CIA extraction team. As she got closer her thoughts were confirmed. The back door flew open and 2 CIA agents armed with guns and bulletproof vests got out. In the middle was Weiss looking worried, but happy when she came running up.

"I'm…I'm here," Sydney spurts out before she faints from the pain.

"Get her to a hospital and fast!" Weiss yells to the driver. The 2 agents pick up Sydney's limp body and pile back into the van and they were off.

* * *

Sydney's eyes flash open to reveal a very blurry room. Blinking once the room came a little more into focus. A couple more blinks and the room came into sharp focus. She was in a fairly big room with only a few pieces of furniture. She was currently lying on a bed with pink sheets covering her. There was also a side table with a lamp turned on. There was a smallish window in the corner closest to her right, but it was pitch black outside of it. A kitchenette with a dinner table and two chairs could be seen, and a chair in the opposite corner with Weiss fast asleep in it. Suddenly remembering what happened, she flung back the sheet to reveal 2 legs, one bandaged up and one clear.

"Thank God," she mutters to herself.

Swinging her legs out over the edge of the bed she prepares to put weight onto her injured leg. Pushing herself out of bed and onto her leg she expected a great amount of pain, but the pain wasn't there. It was like she was never injured. She worked her way over to Weiss.

"Weiss. Wake up," She said quietly so not to shock him too much.

His eyes flutter open. A look of fear crossed his face briefly, but when he realized it was only Sydney there, he relaxed. 

"Sydney! Thank God you're up again!"

"Yes. I feel much better now. Thanks for saving my life."

"It's my job to keep you safe until you can disappear from SD-6 and meet back with your handler."

"Where are we right now?"

"We're currently in San Francisco. We've had quite a week waiting for you to come out of the coma."

"Coma? Week? What happened?" Sydney was very confused. "I remember running and seeing the van, and that's it."

"When you got to the van you immediately passed out from the amount of running you did and from loss of blood. We got you to the nearest hospital and they managed to save your leg. The doctor said that if we were another 5 minutes they probably would have to cut off the leg. However by the time the bullet was removed, you had lost even more blood and ended up slipping into a coma. At this point the CIA stepped in and released you, fearing that SD-6 might try to kill you in the hospital while you were in the coma. You were then driven here where the sheets have been monitoring your vital signs to make sure you didn't die. When you first got here you were given an IV drip and blood. The blood was given over the first day or so, while the IV drip was just removed about 2 hours ago. The sheets are actually a new invention that will measure your heart and breathe rate among other things. The men in the other room, including doctors, have been keeping a close eye on you though all of this."

Sydney spun around and noticed the mirror-window directly over the bed.

"So what's going to happen to me now?"

"Since you lost a lot of time, we have made arrangements to fly you to the end of the journey. Although we will have to wait a couple more days before you'll be well enough to fly."

"Why didn't you fly me immediately instead of sending me on this long journey which nearly killed me?"

"We have reports that Sloane recently acquired the technology to track any plane in the sky. It still might seem risky but it shouldn't be now. As far as your father knows, Sloane has no idea where you are. It happens that the CIA got you out of the hospital just in time. The CIA has reports that SD-6 has checked every hospital within about 50km for you, but turned up nothing. For all he knows you're in Russia right now, or dead in some back alley from blood loss."

"Good, but how will we take SD-6 down now?" Sydney questioned with relief and joy showing in her voice knowing that she was safe.

Weiss caught it. "Just because Sloane has lost your trail doesn't mean he doesn't have agents out trying to reclaim your trail. You're not safe and will be forced to watch your back. As far as SD-6, Vaughn, Jack, and some other CIA agents are currently back in LA planning on how it will be achieved. It will be done. We don't want to put all the work you did for nothing."

"Good," was the only word Sydney could come up with.

"Now, get back to bed. The sooner you're rested and well enough to fly, the sooner we complete this mission."

She nodded her agreement and headed back to bed.

* * *

The next couple days were probably the calmest in Sydney's life since she became a spy. She spent 16-18 hours a day in bed sleeping, catching up on all the sleep she missed. The rest of the time she either read books that Weiss brought to her, looked out the small window in the corner where the sun came in and roasted everything, eating food, or thinking about Vaughn. Over the past couple days Weiss was visiting in shorts and a t-shirt instead of his usual crisp suit. This was because there was a heat wave passing over all of the West Coast. It was almost 40?C out in the shade, but when it's very humid and you're in direct sunlight, you would melt from the heat. 4 days after Sydney woke up from her coma Weiss walks in and tosses her a bag with clothes.

"Here, we leave in about an hour. The costume is very simple. It is a blue bikini swimsuit with a long white translucent skirt. Your hair is going to be tied back into a ponytail with a magenta tip about 5cm up. The rest is going to be a very light brown, almost blonde in colour. Everything you need is in that bag."

"Good. I really didn't want to get into black or something thick," Sydney smiles as she flings the bag over her shoulder and heads to the bathroom.

An hour later Sydney emerges completely changed with the blue bikini and the skirt looking stunning on her. The new ponytail was bobbing around with every step with the light brown looking good on her, and the magenta tip just added to it. Weiss had also changed into some fresh clothes. He smiled.

"Looking good. You'll also be very comfortable outside in that, and where we're going. Knowing Vaughn, he'll think you're beyond beautiful."

Sydney blushed and gave a huge grin. "Thanks."

"The car will be here in a moment to take us to the airport. You ready to do this Sydney?"

"As ready as I'll ever be. Does SD-6 still has no idea?"

"They know that you didn't die, but that's all your father knows currently."

"Didn't think they'd figure I was dead for very long."

A car could be heard pulling up outside the house. Weiss and Sydney headed out together and got in. It was a big new BMW, silver, and had enough room to seat 6 comfortably. Sydney got into the back seat while Weiss got into the front seat.

"To the airport please Frank," Weiss said to the driver.

Immediately the car pulled away and they were off. San Francisco looked gorgeous, but everyone they saw outside looked very uncomfortable. Sydney was nice and cool and glad that her clothes were so light. For the next 30 minutes they drove around, the sound of airplanes coming and going getting louder.

"Now, when we get to the airport Frank will take us directly to the airplane. I suggest you go and get on the plane right away. I have to go and file our flight plan."

"Okay," Sydney said with her mind wandering.

The airport was in sight now and Frank turned onto the main airport road. Before long he turned again onto a side road which led to a hanger. Inside the hanger there was a plane. It was a small unidentifiable leer jet that was just pure white. Getting out of the BMW Sydney just stared. She had never seen a CIA jet before.

"Something wrong Sydney?" Weiss asked, noticing Sydney staring.

"I just thought that a CIA jet would be labeled…" Sydney started.

"Not this one," Weiss smiled. "Now, I'll be back in a couple minutes. I'd suggest you just get aboard and wait there."

Weiss headed out the door at the back of the hanger. The door closed with a bang behind him. Sydney sighed and watched the BMW pull out onto the road and headed off into the distance the same way they came. Instead of getting on the airplane, she walked a little distance away from the hanger into the sun. There was a very slight breeze, enough to move her dress. She gets lost in her thoughts.

How did I get caught up in this life? She thinks. All my life I live in lies, deception, and secrets from everyone to everyone. Will and Francie don't even know what I do every day, risking my life for Sloane who I despise. The only person I can confide within is Vaughn, and he isn't exactly here right now.

These thoughts go on. Weiss returns through the same door he left, and immediately sees Sydney standing in the sun, her skirt blowing slightly.

"Sydney?" Weiss yells, but gets no response.

Walking over to Sydney he could see she was off in her own world. He touches her shoulder to get her attention. She looks back startled and realizes it was only Weiss, she turns back.

"Lets go Sydney, Vaughn is waiting for you."

Sydney let out a big sigh and turned to Weiss with a big grin on her face that felt fake to Sydney.

"Yes, let's," she walked off towards the plane before Weiss can stop her.

Shaking his head he runs to catch up with Sydney. The stairs to the cabin are already down. Sydney climbs them first followed by Weiss. Once aboard she heard the door close and the engines start up. Weiss appeared and sat down across from her.

"I just chatted with the pilot. He says the flight to Seattle will be about 2 hours. This plane has a good supply of food and some good movies we could watch if you want to."

"Thanks," Sydney said.

The plane started moving just then. The aircraft started taxiing out to the runway. It felt like it took forever to get out to the runway. All the planes wanted to take off delayed them. It was almost 11 when they finally got clearance to take off.

"CIA jets even have to wait in line I see," Sydney remarked after the long wait.

"Since we're taking as many precautions to keep you safe, we aren't marked as a CIA flight. We're marked as a private jet for a business trip to Seattle."

The plane sped down the runway, gaining air flight quickly.

Here we go, Sydney thought as the ground falls away. Let's hope SD-6 doesn't catch on and track this flight.

The higher they flew the less Sydney worried and the more relaxed she got.


	4. Part 4

**Running like the Wind**   
  
Part 4

  
  
**Archive:** Tell me where first   
**Disclaimer:** I don't own any Alias characters, those are owned by J.J. Abrams.   
  


The wheels on the plane hit the ground hard, jolting Sydney awake. As soon as she relaxed in the air she had fallen asleep, and it was a very deep sleep with no dreams at all.

"Have a good sleep?" Weiss asked noticing she was awake.

"A wonderful sleep," Sydney said stretching. "I have been sleeping a lot recently, haven't I?"

"It's all part of the surgery, and that stressful timetable you used to keep didn't allow you to get enough sleep."

Sydney turned and looked out the small airplane window, seeing the bright sunlight hitting the pavement and the grass outside. Momentarily a gray hanger appeared in her view as the jet came to a stop in front of it. The sound of the jets died down outside as they were turned off.

"We're here," Weiss announced as he got up. "We still got a drive ahead of us."

"Where to?" Sydney asked as she stood up and stretched again.

Weiss looked at Sydney. "Vancouver."

"Vancouver? Why Vancouver?" Sydney was confused. "And why not just fly out there instead of driving?"

"Vancouver is out of the country, so we're hoping that SD-6 will have a harder time tracking you. As for why we're doing it this way, that's on a need-to-know basis only. However we shouldn't have any problems getting into Canada. Vaughn is waiting in Vancouver for you already."

With the mention of Vaughn Sydney moved faster, and thoughts of him flooded back. She never realized how much she missed him since they last chatted. Pulling her emotions back in before Weiss noticed she started moving to the door. It was already open and she descended into equally hot weather as San Francisco with Weiss following right behind.

"I've got a phone call to make before we head off," Weiss mentioned before walking off. "Wait there," he called over his shoulder.

Sydney watched his retreating back disappear around the corner of the hanger, his cell phone out and to his ear. Sydney stood there, she couldn't feel a single breath of wind, none to blow her skirt or to blow her magenta-tipped light brown hair. An airplane was heard going over her head casting a shadow over the ground. Her mind wanders back to thoughts on Vaughn. She wonders what he was doing at that moment, if he was thinking about her. Sydney glances back to where Weiss disappeared and saw him coming back looking very stressed.

"What's wrong?" Sydney asked as he got closer.

"Hmmm?" Weiss said while placing his cell phone away. "Oh, we have to get moving. We don't have much time. You'll find out more later."

"I want to know now though," Sydney whined.

"Vaughn will tell you," Weiss said as he walked off.

Sydney ran to catch up choosing to drop the subject knowing that there was no way to get it out of Weiss.

"We got a slight walk ahead of us. Not very far, but the faster we move, the better off we will be."

Weiss and Sydney walked across the area away from the airport. Ahead was a worn-down building that, from a distance, looked like it hadn't been used in the recent past. It was hard to tell but it looked like it used to be painted white, but years of rain, wind, snow, and sun and peeled most of the paint off. As they got closer to the building Sydney could see there were lights on inside. Weiss approached the back door that was almost hidden from years of wear and began to knock.

4 knocks…pause…2 knocks…pause…5 knocks…pause…2 knocks…pause…1 knock…pause. The door opened a crack and Weiss finished opening it. He quickly ushered Sydney in before himself and shut the door. With the door closed, most of the natural light was blocked out. What little light the room had came from a small window in the front and back and a single light bulb. It took Sydney's eyes a moment to adjust but when they did she realized it was a very sparsely furnished room with just a chair in the corner. There was also a little old man, probably late 60's or early 70's, grinning up at her. His head was almost bald except for the occasional gray strand. He was fairly short, probably only 5 feet tall wearing long gray pants and a shirt to match.

"Good to see you're safe, Agent Bristow. And you too Agent Weiss. My name is Bob Hallifer," the man said, still grinning.

"Nice to meet you, Mr. Hallifer," Sydney replied smiling slightly.

"Would you like something to drink? Coffee? Tea? Water? Pop? Maybe a glass of Wine?"

Before Sydney could answer Weiss stepped in. "Sorry Bob, we're kinda running late, so we can't stay and chat."

"Of course, of course," Bob mumbled as he moved to a box and began rummaging through it.

"I..know..it..is..in..here..somewhere.." he muttered while rummaging through a fairly big box pulling files, tapes, gizmos, and various other things out and throwing them on the floor.

After a moment he found it, but not before emptying everything out of the box onto the floor. Carefully avoiding everything on the floor, he starts moving back towards Sydney and Weiss. He hands the keys to Weiss.

"The car is parked just up the road. You'll recognize it when you see it."

"Thanks Bob," Weiss said while working his way towards the front door.

"Any time," Opening the door for them and sending them back out into the scorching heat. "And next time we'll have something to drink."

"Yes," Weiss replied over his shoulder as they walked off.

Sydney and Weiss started walking down the road, and almost immediately they heard the door click shut behind.

"He was, erm, interesting," Sydney commented.

"He used to be a very good agent, decades ago. Now he runs the CIA airport hanger. And he's a little paranoid, but I guess you could tell by the fact that there were very few windows."

Ahead they saw a red car roasting in the hot sun. It was the only car for any reasonable distance.

"Well, I can see what he means by knowing it when we see it," Sydney smiled.

As they got closer they could see it was a Contour, latest model. Piling the bags into the trunk they headed towards the front. Inside it was even hotter than outside.

"Good think this car has air conditioning," Weiss said while pulling his seat belt on.

He turns the keys in the ignition and the car roars to life. Sydney turns on the air conditioning, and they're off into the distance.

* * *

The drive to the Canadian border was very uneventful. When they hit the border they didn't have any problems at all. Vancouver was in sight in no time.

"We're almost there," Weiss said. "Just a little more distance before we meet Vaughn."

Glancing at the clock on the dash it showed 3:30, although it felt a lot later to Sydney. 30 minutes later they pulled up to a fairly small fish market. Even though it was small it took them awhile to find a free parking spot. Finally they found one at the far end of the parking lot. Getting out Weiss opened the trunk and took out Sydney's small bag filled with cosmetics and some pajamas.

"Here you go," he says as he hands it to her.

They started walking towards the fish market. Weiss started checking his pockets. He pulls out his yo-yo and starts playing with it. Sydney noticed right away.

"Weiss…" Sydney began.

"Shh… The yo-yo's sleeping," Weiss whispered back.

Sydney rolled her eyes and decided to drop the subject. They entered the market and worked around the people inside. Weiss still had the yo-yo sleeping.

"You're good at that," Sydney commented.

"Thank you," Weiss replied pulling the yo-yo back up. "I see Vaughn."

Following Weiss' gaze she also spots him, looking over some fresh crab. Sydney's heart jumped with joy at the sight of him. Unable to control her emotions she rushed over.

"Vaughn!" She shouted not caring that people were staring.

Vaughn turned around just in time before Sydney's body pulled him into a tight hug. Vaughn returned it immediately.

"I missed you," Vaughn whispered into her ear.

"I missed you too," Sydney replied.

Vaughn looked up and saw Weiss standing slightly to the right playing with his yo-yo.

"Thanks Weiss, I owe you."

"No you don't," he replies. "I'll see you back at the office," and he disappears before Vaughn can comment.

Turning his head back to Sydney's ear he whispers into it. "We can't talk here, and we definitely need to talk"

Sydney pulled out of the embrace, searching his eyes. He takes this moment to study her clothing.

"You're so beautiful," he blurts out before he could stop himself.

Sydney blushes to a bright red and grins. "Thanks."

Vaughn grabs Sydney's hand and leads her out of the market. His car was a beautiful royal blue with a light blue interior. He takes her bag and puts it into the trunk, then holds the door open for her. Getting in on his own side he starts the engine.

"I know you've had a long day, and what has happened might not sit well with you, so I've rented a hotel room in Victoria on Vancouver Island overlooking the ocean. So how does dinner out there sound before we talk?"

"Absolutely splendid," Sydney replied, unable to control her happiness.

Vaughn pulls the car out onto the highway and heads towards the ferry dock. Sydney rolls down the window and lets the wind run over her body. Her ponytail blew around her head, the magenta catching the sun and shining magnificently. Vaughn glanced over.

"That magenta just adds even more to your clothes."

"It was Weiss' idea," Sydney admitted.

They could see the ocean now, and a ferry was just pulling into dock. Vaughn and Sydney manage to catch the ferry just in time so they didn't need to wait for the next one. Once aboard Vaughn leads Sydney to the top deck and outside. The view of Vancouver was gorgeous from up on the ferry, but the wind was quite strong. Sydney shivered. Vaughn pulls her in close, keeping her warm. She snuggles in deeper and listens to his heartbeat while looking at the landscape. To anyone who saw them they looked like a couple. The ferry starts moving away.

"It's so beautiful up here," She says looking out over the city and ocean.

"Yes, this is the most beautiful place I have been to in awhile, almost makes you forget your job."

They spent most of the trip like that up on the deck. Vancouver Island came into sight after awhile and the ferry docked. It was another 10 minutes before they got off the ferry due to technical delays. When they finally made it across the island it was almost 7:30. Their hotel appeared before them. With the site of it Sydney's jaw nearly dropped. It was only a middle-class hotel with a couple suites, but it was done up like an upper-class hotel. It was about 10 floors high, and Sydney assumed the side facing the ocean had huge balconies.

"Welcome to our hotel," Vaughn smiled. "Shall we go in?"

"Sure," Sydney said, still amazed.

Walking in, Vaughn headed to the elevator with Sydney close behind. Getting on the elevator he pushes for the button for the 10th floor.

"Oh, we're in a suite?"

"That we are. CIA is paying for all of this. I'm not even sure why. I never get this treatment on business trips"

The elevator passed foor 7…8…9…10. The doors slide open noiselessly.

"Here we are," Vaughn said after a short walk down the hall.

He opened the door to reveal a huge room with a king-size bed against one wall. It also included a couch opposite the bed, a huge bathroom, and a breathtaking view of the ocean. Sydney ran in and looked around. There was a huge chandelier hanging from the ceiling.

"Wow! It's beautiful!" Sydney exclaimed.

"I know, I was here last night also," Vaughn grinned. "So, about that dinner. Do you want to go eat in the restaurant or order room service? It's only about 7:30."

"Lets go down and eat."

With that they headed down and had a very romantic dinner. Sydney enjoyed every minute of it knowing she was safe for the time being. 2 ½ hours later they made their way back up to the room. The sun was coming straight in through the huge balcony windows. Vaughn leads Sydney to the couch and they both sit down.

"Did you enjoy dinner?" Vaughn small talked.

"Greatly," Sydney replied. "Now, what did we need to talk about?"

"I can't keep you away from this any longer," Vaughn clears his throat and gets ready to reveal what he learned earlier that day. "Sydney…"

"Oh Vaughn! Look at that sunset!" Sydney interrupted.

She jumps up and runs out onto the balcony, looking at the sunset over the ocean. Vaughn sighs and follows her out, putting his arm around her. They stood there together watching the sun disappear behind the horizon.

"What did you want to say?" Sydney finally said once the sun was gone.

She looked up at him, his bright green eyes gazing back at her.

He sighs again. "I'm so so sorry Sydney, and that doesn't even describe it."

Sydney pulled away from him, looking into his eyes, which were starting to fill with tears. "What?" She got out, her own eyes starting to fill up knowing something bad was about to happen.

"Will and Francie are dead."


End file.
